


A Shiver of Ice and Snow

by justgingery



Category: Bleach
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gotei 13 - Freeform, Humour, Rangiku ships it, Romance, Secret Relationship, TYBW spoilers, hickey scarf, ice babs don't do well in summer, protective older brother Byakuya, set post-TYBW
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-05
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:07:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25721071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justgingery/pseuds/justgingery
Summary: ~Snowflakes dancing with the frozen heavens~Whilst Soul Society is repairing itself after the war, Rukia finds comfort in the peace. For once, there is nothing in her life keeping her away from her duties and her loved ones.Toshiro, on the other hand, finds himself longing for a new adventure. A way to distract himself from the monotonous stack of paperwork permanently on his desk.After an accidental meeting draws them together, Captain Toshiro Hitsugaya and Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki's lives become intertwined in a way they had least expected.-A collection of HitsuRuki one-shots centred around the lives of our favourite ice users, post TYBW
Relationships: Hitsugaya Toushirou/Kuchiki Rukia
Comments: 18
Kudos: 33





	1. Lovebite (Part 1)

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone!
> 
> Welcome to the first in a seires of HitsuRuki one-shots that have been in my mind for a while now~  
> I'm so excited to write for this pairing, I've been shipping them for a looooong while now! I'll be updating the tags as I go since chapters will be in unchronological order and I have multiple different genres planned! Look out for fluff, hurt/comfort, friendship and humour (and maybe even some smut) with appearances from your Gotei 13 and living world faves <3
> 
> Cheers~!

Beads of sweat dripped down flushed cheeks as Toshiro shifted in his position uncomfortably. The young Captain had never been one for hot weather, often shutting himself in an air conditioned office for the day. It was basic physics after all: ice melts in the heat and oh boy, Toshiro definitely felt like he was melting. It was the hottest day of the year so far and only set to get hotter, which his summer loving lieutenant painfully reminded him.   
  
Every part of his shihakusho agonizingly clung to him as his body temperature kept rising throughout the day. If Toshiro Hitsugaya could choose any day to avoid wearing his scarf, it would be today. The fabric wrapped around his neck only constricted him further. He cursed his past self for changing up his fashion choice. If he could just go back to wearing the teal fabric as a sash, his neck could breath.

As the day went on, Toshiro found himself slumping further into his desk until his head was rested upon the hard wood, neck twisting uncomfortably to still see his paperwork. From the other side of the office, he heard Rangiku Matsumoto, his beloved yet lazy lieutenant, stretch and yawn.

“All this heat makes you sleepy, huh, Captain? I could use a nap!” Rangiku remarked.

Toshiro let out a disgruntled groan in response. Words were far too much effort at the moment. Hell, even breathing was difficult at the moment with how humid the air was. Hearing his lieutenant shift again as he tried his hardest to concentrate on his work, he silently prayed the rest of the day would go by quick. Only a few more hours of torture then he could throw himself into a bath of ice and forget about the world for the night.

As the minutes dragged on, Toshiro grew increasingly uncomfortable again but this time for a different reason. A pair of sky blue eyes had bore into him for a long while now as he felt his lieutenants gaze on him.

“You are blatantly staring at me, Matsumoto.” Toshiro pushed down his brush with a bit more force than intended, head still resting on the desk since he was feeling too lazy to lift himself up. “What is it?”

Rangiku didn't respond, instead letting out a hum of curiosity. Patience wearing drastically thin, his eyebrow twitched in annoyance. This woman really knew how to get on his nerves. “Matsumoto.” He kept his voice low, saying her name as a warning. She better get to the point before he attempted to freeze her. It was not wise to wake a sleeping dragon… or in this case a melting dragon.

Toshiro could practically feel the smirk on her face as she finally spoke.

“Tell her to bite lower next time, Captain. Your neck is a mess!”

_ Fuck. _

Toshiro slowly lifted himself up, his teal orbs meeting icy blue ones. All day, Toshiro had tried to be so careful about the scarf around his neck. Small bite marks were etched into his skin after things got a bit... heated last night.

When your girlfriend is a fellow ice user, you both have to find a way to let off some steam during a heat wave.

_ Secret _ girlfriend, he had to remind himself. They had agreed to keep their relationship a secret for now. Toshiro had many feelings for Rukia Kuchiki now they were officially a couple and respect was definitely one of those feelings. Rukia had expressed her nervousness in regards to telling her older brother: the esteemed head of the one of the Four Noble Houses of the Seireitei and Captain of the 6th Division, Byakuya Kuchiki.

The icy couple agreed to keep it a secret until Rukia found the courage to approach her family about it. This of course meant most of their time together was confined to the secrecy of Toshiro’s house where she could easily hide her spiritual pressure behind his. The risk of being seen in public was eliminated entirely.

Toshiro couldn’t lie that he found the secrecy a little bit exciting. The war with the Quincies had ended quite some time ago and peace had finally come to Soul Society. This also meant they were soldiers with very little to fight, back to the easy threat of hollows. Days, weeks then months dragged on with no new threat so the focus was on rebuilding the Seireitei and repairing the damage. The same routine day in and day out.

This fling that Ukitake had unknowingly set up  (or did he know? Toshiro had suspicions the older Captain knew fine well what he was doing) was the exciting new routine change the young man had been craving.

Last night had _ definitely _ been an exciting one for the pair. While in the comfort of his own home, the Captain would frequently strip his top half down if he was too warm. When an already hot and bothered Rukia had arrived to find her boyfriend half naked, things got heated pretty fast for them.

There was one particular moment where Rukia's arousal got the best of her and she clamped down hard on her boyfriend's neck. Toshiro swore she started doing it on purpose as he felt her nip and suck tender parts of his skin. The normally porcelain, untouched canvas was now painted with spots of purple and one very noticeable bite mark.

Luckily he had his scarf to cover it up, which he agonisingly had to wear despite his rapidly increasing body temperature protesting the action. If he had known from the very start it wouldn't hide the marks from Rangiku, he would have just come clean straight away. Yet here he was. The white haired captain stared down his lieutenant. 

The overwhelming heat had clouded his judgement and he had clearly become lax with his scarf placement while resting his head on his desk. Rangiku’s playful smirk only grew the longer he stayed silent, racking his brain for any kind of excuse. Nothing came to him though.

No point in trying to deny it, Toshiro thought to himself. Rangiku was known as quite the gossip but they had respect for each other’s privacy when it came to matters outside of work. Rangiku was not only his lieutenant but also one of his closest friends. She’d have to find out about this eventually and he didn't exactly have to say  _ who  _ did it to him.

Sighing deeply, the Captain ran a hand through his sweat soaked hair then adjusted the scarf to hide the marks again. “I’ll be sure to tell her that next time.”

Rangiku leapt over the couch, lunging towards him like an excitable young puppy and slammed her hands down on the desk. “So there IS a "her"?! There is actually a girl?! Who is it?! Captain why didn’t you tell me?!”

Toshiro cringed at her response, almost instantly regretting telling her. “Listen, I can’t tell you who it is yet to respect her privacy, but... yes. There is someone I’ve been seeing for a short while now.”

“Oh? Must be someone pretty important if she’s wanting you to hide it.” Rangiku pouted, trying to ruse the truth from him.

“I guess you could say that.” Toshiro shrugged his shoulders. Rukia Kuchiki was a pretty important figure in lots of ways. Her name would definitely be added to Seireitei history books due to her involvement with the substitute Shinigami, Ichigo Kurosaki. Being adopted into a Noble Family was a pretty big shock to everyone, too. Her insubordination to the late Captain Commander Yamamaoto when she went after Orihime Inoue in Hueco Mundo. Rukia’s history was not a boring one.

She was also a pretty big deal to Toshiro. He had never felt this kind of attraction to anyone before. Toshiro would never admit that out loud to Rangiku though, she would tease him relentlessly if he showed any sort of love struck emotion.

Rangiku must have suddenly remembered about the marks, as she chuckled again and pointed to his scarf. “Things are clearly pretty serious if you’re letting her do  _ that  _ to you.”

A different kind of heat travelled up the young Captain’s neck at that comment. Toshiro didn’t get embarrassed often but being called out like that for his sex life was a new experience he wasn’t used to. “What I do in my private time with my girlfriend is none of your business, lieutenant.”

Toshiro felt his heart skip a bit. Finally getting to call Rukia ‘his girlfriend’ to someone gave him a small rush of happiness. It felt like a weight off his shoulders, although him and Rukia would definitely need to speak later about Rangiku knowing he’s dating someone.

Leaning back from the desk, Rangiku rolled her eyes. “Oh c’mon Captain. You can trust me. You don’t need to tell me who it is but give me all the juicy details at least!”

“No.”

“Captaaaaain.”

“Matsumoto, you-”

As if the universe heard his struggle, there was suddenly a knock at the door. Shooting a warning glare at Matsumoto, he telepathically warned her to be quiet. Toshiro made sure to double check his scarf placement then sat back in his chair. Rangiku couldn’t help but snigger at his actions, clearly amused by her Captain’s dirty little secret.

“Come in.” Toshiro raised his voice slightly to the figure behind the door.

Toshiro and Rangiku watched as the door was slid open by none other than Captain Byakuya Kuchiki. The fellow Captains studied each other for a moment before Byakuya Kuchiki stepped into the room. His expression was hard to read as always. Captain Kuchiki always kept an impassive look on his face, unless something really shocked him or Rukia was involved. 

“Kuchiki.” Toshiro greeted him with a slight nod, “What can I do for you?”

It was at that moment a small figure timidly stepped out from behind the noble. Toshiro spotted the chin length, raven hair and instantly recognised the owner. Rukia had a sheepish look on her face as she fidgeted, twiddling her thumbs. It was a habit the younger Kuchiki only ever did when she was nervous, Toshiro discovered a few weeks after they started dating. A slight red tint dusted her cheeks as she too was either too warm or embarrassed. Or both.

She shot him an apologetic look before her eyes glanced to his neck for a split second. Relief flooded her, letting out a silent sigh as she glanced towards her brother.

“I would like to have a word, Captain Hitsuagaya.” Captain Kuchiki’s monotone voice rang out, eyes still fixated on the fellow Captain.

Toshiro raised an eyebrow. Why would Byakuya Kuchiki want to speak with him? They really had no business with each other. The Sixth and Tenth divisions had nothing in common and no reason to collaborate, especially not with the vast amount of repairs each of them had to do within their own barracks. So it clearly wasn’t something work related.  Unless…

Realisation hit the white haired captain as his eyes slowly glanced between the siblings. Byakuya wasn’t here for work reasons.

He was here for Rukia. 

She must have finally told him.

They had always agreed that Rukia would tell Byakuya in private, though they also agreed to give Toshiro a small warning so he knew when to expect this conversation. The stereotypical "protective older brother" talk. Rukia hadn't mentioned anything last night about letting the truth out. Of course, they didn't do much talking last night. 

Toshiro allowed himself to smirk as he made eye contact with Rukia. “Is this what I think it is?”

Rukia straightened her back as all eyes were on her now. Between her boyfriend smirking at her, her brother raising an eyebrow and one of her close friends looking very confused at the situation, Rukia felt the tension in her rise. She nodded slowly and brought her palms together.

Taking a deep breath, Rukia closed her eyes for a few seconds to collect her thoughts. After what felt like an hour for her, purple eyes opened back up to address the room.

“Yes, Captain Hitsugaya.” Rukia calmly began, “It is what you think it is.”

Using his official title was nothing new to him, though he let out a small chuckle at it. No point in formalities now the truth was coming out. Bringing his attention back to the older sibling, he pushed himself free from his chair and began walking around his desk to stand next to his lieutenant. “Well, I can only assume you’re wanting to have this conversation in private then, Kuchiki?” 

“Preferably.” Byakuya replied, eyes shooting towards the tall blonde, clearly not wanting her here for this conversation. He really was the king of subtlety, Toshiro joked inwardly. 

“Why don’t we go on a walk, Matsumoto has work she needs to do here.” Toshiro looked up to his lieutenant and nodded. It wasn’t so much an order as it was a ‘stay here and attempt to do the work I know you won’t do.’

Captain Kuchiki responded by ushering to the door, letting Toshiro guide them out of the room and through his own barracks. As Rukia went to follow them, Byakuya rested a hand on her shoulder. After seeing how deeply Byakuya cared for Rukia during their fight with the Sternritter Gerard, it was really no surprise to him why Rukia would be nervous telling him about a relationship. Anyone who ever hurt Rukia would have to deal with Byakuya’s fury. Not that Toshiro ever planned to upset her. Quite the opposite, actually. All he wanted to do was make her happy.

“Rukia, why don’t you stay here for now. You’ve been outside for a while now, let your temperature regulate.” Byakuya suggested softly. Toshiro saw right through his words again now just like he did back then during the war: Rukia was obviously not welcome for this conversation. She opened her mouth to protest but quickly snapped it shut again, giving her brother a small nod.

Toshiro gave Rukia a small smile before turning to leave again. He waved a hand to Rangiku as he left, Byakuya walking beside him. “Oh, Matsumoto. This is what you think it is.” He said, paralleling his girlfriend’s words from earlier on. 

Rukia turned to face Rangiku, who was in deep thought. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion at everything that just transpired. There’d be no point in hiding it from Rangiku anymore as he knew Rukia would be stuck in here with her for the duration of this conversation.

As the pair of Captains made their way through the halls of the Tenth towards one of the empty meeting rooms, the pair of lieutenant stayed behind in the office.

With Toshiro on his way to face his girlfriend's protective older brother, Rukia was left to face her boyfriend's closest friend and lieutenant.

They were both about to have very interesting conversations.


	2. Lovebite (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Toshiro is confronted by an overprotective Byakuya about the relationship, Rukia is left behind with a very curious Rangiku. Just what exactly was going on between the young ice users?

As Toshiro silently guided the other Captain through the halls of the Tenth, a small pool of anxiety bubbled in his stomach. Byakuya Kuchiki was a force to be reckoned with, especially when it came to his younger sister Rukia.

This conversation could go one of two ways for the young Captain: Captain Kuchiki would attempt to kill him right here and now or he could gain the blessing of his girlfriend’s older brother and life will continue to be a breeze for him.

Toshiro prayed it was the latter.

The tension in the air wasn’t as thick as Toshiro expected it to be though. Byakuya had a very calm aura about him, which somehow only made Toshiro more nervous. The older Kuchiki was much harder to read than his younger sister.

When the pair arrived at one of the smaller meeting rooms within the Tenth Division barracks, Toshiro politely held the door open and gestured to Byakuya to go inside. He went to close the door behind him, but not before politely asking one of his unseated officers further down the hallway for some tea.

Byakuya held up his hand in objection. “No need, Captain Hitsugaya. This conversation won’t take long.”

Toshiro wasn’t sure if that was comforting or terrifying. Or both. He called off the tea then stepped inside, doing his best to hide the nerves he had. He had spent weeks convincing Rukia that telling Byakuya shouldn’t be a nerve-wracking thing yet here he was with a knot in his stomach and clammy hands.

“So, Rukia told you about the relationship?” Toshiro questioned him as they made their way over to the low coffee table.

“Yes, she did. I must say I was surprised when she told me, you both hid it well.” Byakuya responded.

It was at this moment that Toshiro remembered there was _clear_ evidence of a relationship on his body. Judging from Byakuya’s demeanor and the fact he hadn’t been cut to shreds with a thousand tiny sakura petals yet, Toshiro assumed he must have been fine with the secret relationship… but finding out his sister’s dirtier secret? He didn’t want to know what would happen as a result.

Toshiro focused some of his energy on cooling himself down, very aware of the growing heat under his scarf and clothes. 

“Well, I had to respect her wishes.” Toshiro explained. “Rukia didn’t want anyone else knowing before she had a chance to approach you about it.”

Byakuya’s shoulders softened at Toshiro’s words. “Rukia is very considerate that way.”

Nodding in agreement, Toshiro also felt himself relax. Now a hundred percent confident this conversation wouldn’t result in any bodily harm for himself, it gave Toshiro some determination. One thing he had repeated to Rukia in the months they were secret was that nothing could come between them: not even Byakuya’s disapproval. 

Rukia was her own person after all. Yes, she did have a noble status to uphold but in Toshiro’s opinion, love and relationships shouldn’t be controlled by status or nobility. You never know who you’ll end up falling for - rich or poor, woman or man or any other gender. So long as your partner respects your boundaries and does nothing to hurt you, has anyone else really got the right to judge who you chose to spend your life with?

After having heard the ‘I’m nervous about telling my brother’ panic more times than he could count on one hand, Toshiro found resolve. Regardless of what Byakuya thought, he'd stay together with Rukia if she allowed him.

That same resolve found its way back to Toshiro in this moment. He was going to show Byakuya what he was made of. He wasn’t content with Byakuya just being “alright” about the relationship: Toshiro was fully prepared to tell Byakuya how much Rukia meant to him and how confident he was about not hurting her. Byakuya supporting this relationship would make Rukia happier and that’s all Toshiro cared about.

“Kuchiki.” Toshiro addressed the noble, a serious look on his face. “Rukia made her choice to be with me, which you have to accept. I’m aware you care deeply about her, which is why I want to assure you I will never hurt her. Your sister makes me happy and I’ll spend the rest of this relationship making her feel the same way, should she let me.”

What happened next shocked Toshiro to his core. Byakuya Kuchiki smiled at him.

It was a small smile, but still noticeable. Toshiro couldn’t recall a time where he had ever seen Byakuya _smile_ … and he was smiling at _him_. It made Toshiro a little uneasy, if he was being honest. Byakuya Kuchiki rarely showed any positive emotion and when he did it was almost always reserved for Rukia.

“I’m glad to hear that, Hitsugaya.” Byakuya nodded slightly. “When Rukia told me she was in a relationship, I was fearful it was with one of the rowdier men in her life. You have proven your loyalty to the Gotei 13 on multiple occasions, you have even personally helped me on the battlefield. I have no concerns about your loyalty to my sister. ”

“Us getting along and accepting each other would make her happy.” Toshiro commented. He hoped the older Kuchiki was as good as finding double meaning behind words like his sister was: ‘do we have your blessing or not?’ was what Toshiro really meant.

“Yes, it would. You both have my blessing.”

And there it was. A wave of relief overcame Toshiro.

Byakuya, clearly curious for Toshiro’s side of the story, had changed the topic slightly to ask the younger Captain how they got together. The two sat together for another short while as Toshiro explained it was mostly an accident they came together but he had his theories that Ukitake set the relationship up from the start.

Remembering that Byakuya Kuchiki was one of the few people that had seen his adult form (or even knew about it), Toshiro actually shared a little insight into the exact moment he was first attracted to Rukia. Ukitake had invited him and Head Captain Kyoraku for lunch to catch up. Rukia had accidentally interrupted but was promptly convinced to stay by Ukitake. When Ukitake had to go get some air, Kyoraku accompanied him, leaving the two ice users alone. 

Rukia took this opportunity to ask about the supposed ‘brother’ Toshiro had and he couldn’t hide how baffled he was. She was very gullible to have believed his lame excuse for his appearance during the Quincy war so easily.

When Toshiro told her the truth, Rukia suddenly got very flustered and apologised profusely. Being the prankster she was known to sometimes be, Rukia begged Toshiro to keep it a secret to Renji and to keep going along with the ‘older brother’ excuse.

The normally mature and serious Captain couldn’t deny the thought of pranking Renji in that way sounded fun. Life had become a drag for him recently, the same routine day in, day out: wake up, work, eat, sleep, repeat. Toshiro found himself craving more, so when the raven haired Lieutenant appealed to his inner child, it was a temptation he didn’t even try to resist.

He indulged in it, actually. Feeling excitement for the first time in weeks, Toshiro suddenly found himself attracted to the reason for his excitement and craving more.

“Rukia had asked me to help prank Renji and I couldn't resist her.” Toshiro explained, deciding not to go into full detail about his feelings.

Toshiro couldn’t quite believe how natural talking to the esteemed Kuchiki noble felt. Maybe he had the wrong impression? If this was how easy it was to get along with him, it gave Toshiro hope for the future of his relationship.

Gazing out towards the Tenth Division courtyard, Byakuya raised himself from his seated position and fixed his haori. “Speaking of Renji, I better be going now. I’ve left Renji alone with the Division for long enough now. Farewell for now, Hitsugaya. I’m sure we’ll be seeing a lot more of each other in these circumstances.”

“Wait, is Rukia going back with you now?” Toshiro attempted to stand himself up right as well, but he faltered slightly. He silently cursed his body - he could be so sloppy when it was hot.

Byakuya shook his head. “No, I am going to assume that you two will want to speak privately of these sudden developments. I will see her again soon.”

Almost immediately after Byakuya left the room, Toshiro collapsed himself onto the floor and ripped his scarf off, and groaned to himself. “It’s so unbearably warm, eugh.”

He needed something to cool himself back down. Maybe a snack? Had Matsumoto frozen the fruit he asked her to?

Not even Hyorinmaru was of any use when it was _this_ hot in Soul Society. Toshiro’s entire being craved something cold… or _someone_.

Waiting back in his office for him was Soul Society’s ‘princess of ice’ herself and he had some very important questions for her.

* * *

Rukia couldn’t help but tremble slightly as she watched Toshiro and Byakuya leave the office. She wanted nothing more than to be there for this conversation but had to respect her brother’s wishes about speaking in private. Rukia knew first hand how terrifying her brother could be. 

His response to the relationship was not what she expected, though. Rukia and her older brother would have lunch together every Thursday to catch up. While the siblings did infact live together but both were far too busy with their professional lives to see each other every day. It just so happened that on this particular Thursday, Rukia had a small glow about her.

Byakuya was a very observant man so likely noticed the difference instantly. They spoke about her good mood, which Rukia just passed off as a good sleep at first. As their lunch continued, the excitement bubbled inside her before it literally came bursting out.

_~_

_“Nii-sama?” Rukia started, feeling her heart skip a beat. She was really going to do this. She was finally going to tell her brother about her secret relationship with Captain Hitsugaya. It’s now or never._

_Byakuya set down his mug, raising an eyebrow. “Yes, Rukia? Is everything okay? You seem nervous.”_

_Taking a deep breath, Rukia tried her best to clear her thoughts and compose herself. “Nii-sama, there’s something I need to tell you. For a while now I’ve-” Byakuya was watching her, concern and curiosity etched onto his face as she took a pause. She had never said this out loud before so she didn’t even know how to word it. Should she be honest and tell her brother about the full secret relationship? Or just pass it off as some feelings she would like to pursue with his approval? She would hate for herself and Toshiro to have to tiptoe around the truth though, so best to just come clean, she thought to herself._

_“Nii-sama, I’m in a relationship.” Rukia finally admitted. Not giving him a chance to continue, she quickly elaborated. “I’ve actually been in this relationship for a while now. We kept it secret because we didn't want gossip spreading while people should be focusing on repairs… and we wanted you to be the first to know.”_

_Byakuya blinked slowly at her, in deep thought. Rukia wished for nothing more than to enter his mind at that moment. What was he thinking? He kept his face emotionless. At least he didn't seem upset at the news, but Rukia found herself craving some form of response from the Captain. When Byakuya gave her a puzzled look, she shot him one back._

_“Who are you in a relationship with?” Byakuya quizzed her._

_“Oh…” Rukia started, completely unaware she hadn’t actually mentioned who she was dating. “It’s Captain Hitsugaya.”_

_Byakuya raised an eyebrow at her, looking genuinely surprised. “I was unaware you were even spending time with Hitsugaya.”_

_Rukia twiddled her thumbs, “Ahh, he was having lunch with Captain Ukitake and Head Captain Kyoraku one day when I accidentally interrupted. I guess we just kind of bonded.” A small blush tinted her cheeks. Thinking of the past few weeks, she had certainly got a lot closer to the young Captain. Underneath the icy cold exterior was a caring young man who wanted the best for his family and friends._

_When Rukia looked back towards her brother, a small smile had graced his lips. He was… happy? She wasn't expecting that one. Knowing Byakuya's over-protective tendencies, she expected him to be unreasonable or, at the very least, angry. His calm and collected demeanor threw her off completely._

_“No need to look so shocked, Rukia. I am happy for you. As long as Captain Hitsugaya makes you happy and does not hurt you, you have my approval. ” Byakuya extended one of his hands across the table to rest it upon her dancing thumbs. “Captain Hitsugaya has earned the respect of every other Captain in the Seireitei, including me. His work ethic and devotion to his Division are admirable.”_

_Rukia beamed back at Byakuya. That couldn’t have gone any better._

_Of course, Rukia knew it was only a matter of time before the protective older brother instinct would kick in. After they had finished their meal, Byakuya sent one of the guards to inform his Lieutenant that he would be back late and to forward the same message to Captain Ukitake for Rukia’s whereabouts. That’s when Byakuya explained he wanted to pay Toshiro a small visit to have a talk about the relationship._

_On their way to the Tenth, Rukia had opened up a little more about the relationship. She explained that, in order to keep it secret, they hadn’t even been on a proper date yet but they still found ways to spend time with each other in the privacy of Toshiro’s house: reading together, Rukia had forced Toshiro to bake with her, and she could never forget board game night._

_There were still parts of the relationship Rukia kept private, of course. She was close to her brother but not close enough to talk about the more intimate side of things. Memories of last night’s heated activities came flooding back to Rukia again as her face involuntary flushed._

_‘Oh no… His neck.’ Rukia’s inner voice panicked. ‘I have no way of warning him. Crap. Toshiro, please have your scarf on.’_

_“Rukia, are you okay?”_

_Rukia squealed in response, she was too lost in thought to even notice her brother had pulled her to a stop and was now reaching up to rest a hand on her forehead. His eyebrows narrowed as he observed her._

_“Your temperature is quite high. Are you struggling with the heat again?” Byakuya asked innocently._

_“Ah, I-I’m just…” Rukia stammered, unsure how to respond. I mean, how would you explain to your brother you got red in the face because you were thinking about sex with your boyfriend? “Yeah, I’m just very warm at the moment.”_

_It wasn’t a total lie._

_A small hum came from Byakuya as he turned back around. Rukia noticed at this moment they were standing outside the gates to the Tenth Division. Guards bowed low to the pair as they made their way in._

~

Now she found herself standing in the Tenth Division office, her face still various shades of red from a combination of nerves and her temperature. Rukia was fully aware of the other Lieutenant in the room and decided it would be to address it quickly before she assumed the worst. Toshiro had mentioned Rangiku’s imagination can run wild sometimes.

“Matsumoto-san, I-” Rukia went to twist her body to face the Tenth Division Lieutenant when she was met with a finger on the mouth to shush her. Rangiku had silently crept towards her in the time she watched the two Captain’s leave. They stood like that for a while as Rukia could quite literally feel Rangiku’s brain working overtime to put all the pieces together.

“Wait…” Rangiku started, slowly dropping her hand. “Wait wait wait. So Captain Kuchiki wants to talk to my Captain alone… ‘Is this what I think it is?’ Rukia, is there something going on between my Captain and the Kuchiki household?”

It’s now or never, Rukia thought for the second time today. The tone in which Toshiro spoke before they left was a clear hint to his Lieutenant to think deeper into the situation. Hidden in his words was a message to Rukia, though: ‘may as well tell her.’

“I guess that’s one way you could word it.” Rukia admitted under her breath. She watched the fellow Lieutenant closely as realisation slowly crept onto her face. Jaw slowly dropping, Rangiku took a step back to point at Rukia.

“It’s… you?” Rangiku shook her head slightly, as if trying to wake herself from a dream. “It’s you! YOU’RE DATING MY CAPTAIN?! Toshiro Hitsugaya is in a relationship with Rukia Kuchiki?!”

Rukia held up her hands to shush her friend, feeling increasingly nervous at her words. Did she know Toshiro was dating someone? He hadn’t told her that! Then again, Rukia had sprung her _brother_ on Toshiro very unexpectedly. She needed to clear this up before it got any messier.

“Matsumoto-san, you knew he was dating someone?” Rukia questioned her.

Rangiku pondered her words for a moment. A wicked smirk graced her lips as she flipped her hair away from her then pointed to her neck. “With the mess you left on his neck, I had to assume he had something… or someone going on.”

Rukia didn’t think her cheeks could get any redder than they already were. How wrong she was proven to be. The heat kept rising in her as she tried to stutter out a response - yet nothing came out. Rangiku gave her one of her signature winks then folded arms underneath her chest.

“I only found out just before you and Captain Kuchiki came in.” Rangiku elaborated. “Captain was practically asleep on the desk so his scarf twisted awkwardly and I saw the lovebites. I pestered him for details but he was boring and wouldn’t give me any of the juicy information. He told me he had a girlfriend but for ‘privacy reasons’ he couldn’t tell me who.”

Rukia felt herself deflate in relief. It had just been one very well timed coincidence that at the exact moment she gained courage to tell her brother, Toshiro had become complacent and let the secret slip. Rukia made a mental note to tease him about that later. The heavenly child prodigy of Seireitei making a mistake? Blasphemy. 

“Well, I’m glad I told Nii-sama about everything earlier on in that case.” Rukia sighed. 

A comfortable silence fell within the office. Rukia suddenly felt very sleepy, unable to keep herself upright. Vision blurred as her knees buckled under her and she fell backwards. She suddenly felt comforting hands on her shoulder as Rangiku guided her to the couches to sit down. Giving Rukia a gentle smile, the fellow Lieutenant left for a few minutes and returned with some frozen fruit and ice cold water.

“You are so similar to Captain Hitsugaya, it’s no wonder he’s attracted to you.” The older woman admitted. She continued on to explain how she would always be asked to freeze fruit for Toshiro to snack on during the summer months. Her job during hot days like this was mostly to look after the young Captain and communicate on his behalf. Toshiro was very grumpy on hot days and lost patience very quickly, so Rangiku did all the talking.

As she sipped on her drink, Rukia felt her nerves shoot up again. Her brother and Toshiro had been gone for a while now and she desperately wanted to know if the conversation was going well. Rangiku yet again placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

“I’m sure whatever they are speaking about is going well.” Rangiku could clearly read her emotions. Rukia wasn’t the best at hiding nerves, she knew that. “Captain Hitsugaya can hold his own pretty well. He’s already had to deal with some… tough, relationships. I’m sure one overprotective brother isn’t much to him at this point.”

‘Tough relationships?’ Rukia questioned in her mind.

Staring down at her cup, Rukia was trying her best to think back on any times they had spoken about previous relationships. She knew there was history with some trust issues he suffered, but he had never elaborated due to him being uncomfortable about the topic. Being respectful of his boundaries, Rukia never tried to ask him for any more than what he was comfortable sharing but she couldn’t deny her curiosity.

As if reading her mind again. Rangiku let out a throaty chuckle. “He’s not explained his trust issues fully, has he?”

“No, not in depth.” Rukia replied. “He’s told me that there is history there, but he doesn’t like talking about it.”

Rangiku furrowed her eyebrow, staring Rukia down. The tone of the room suddenly shifted to a more serious one. Rukia felt a shiver down her spine as she kept eye contact with Rangiku. The busty Lieutenant was rarely serious so Rukia actually felt a little shocked at the change in demeanor. “The relationship he has with Hinamori is strained because of everything that happened with Aizen. It’s common knowledge she held a sword to his throat while tensions were high. He’s still hurt to this day about Captain Shiba leaving us without explanation. He’s scared of getting close to people as a result. It’s not my place to say exactly what happened and why he feels the way he does. But, it _is_ my place as his friend and Lieutenant to look after him. I never want to see him hurt like that again.”

A sad look glossed over Rangiku’s features. Strands of blonde hair fell from their place onto her face. “He appears cold and uncaring but it’s a defense mechanism, I’m sure you’re aware of that at this point. He’ll only really open up to his grandmother and myself these days. That’s why I’m so shocked he didn’t even tell me about you, Rukia. Don’t hurt him.”

Rangiku’s words gave Rukia a new resolve. Toshiro made Rukia feel like she deserved love for once in her life, it was a feeling she never wanted to let go of. Her life had been a series of unfortunate and heartbreaking events one after the other but when she was with Toshiro, the troubles - ironically - melted away. 

Puffing out her chest and giving her best look of determination, Rukia spoke with pride. “You have my word, Matsumoto-san. I never intend to hurt him.”

The edges of Rangiku’s mouth curved upwards into a smirk. Leaning back on the couch without breaking eye contact, Rangiku folded her legs. “Good. It’s my job to know his weaknesses and protect him from people exploiting them. I know what can shatter his ice, I bet they work the same for you.”

Rukia almost dropped her cup in shock. Did… did Rangiku Matsumoto just _threaten_ her?

Of course she did. The realisation this situation was actually happening hit Rukia as she burst out into laughter. Rangiku raised an eyebrow, curious at the outburst.

“I-I’m sorry.” Rukia managed out in between laughs. “That just got quite serious there. This is totally the sort of conversation I imagine my brother and Toshiro would be having! He did warn me that you’d be protective of him once we told you, so it makes sense for you to say things like that.”

Tensions in the room released suddenly as the two Lieutenants burst into fits of laughter again.

“I surprise myself with how serious I can be sometimes!” Rangiku giggled. “Guess it’s just the effect Captain has on me!”

The pair continued to giggle and gossip about the cuter side to Toshiro. He had this cute habit of playing with Rukia’s hair as they cuddled. Rangiku reveled in all these insights - the more to tease him about the better her life became. 

Rukia finished off the last of the frozen blueberries and pouted. She wanted more. The snack helped Rukia cool down to normal again. The intense red blush had now disappeared and porcelain skin was on display again. “Frozen berries are a good idea, I’m definitely stealing it.”

“You have granny to thank for that one.”

The deep voice came from behind Rukia. Before she got a chance to turn around she saw an arm reach over the couch from behind her, displaying two more frozen blueberries. She reached up to take them for her own. As her icy skin came into contact with his, their reiatsu mixed together.  
  
Rukia couldn’t deny that touching Toshiro - even just a brush of the hand - gave her butterflies. His skin was smooth to the touch, like a thin layer of untouched ice. For the first time in her life, something was finally cooler than her and she indulged in it as much as she could.

Lingering on his skin a bit longer than she intended, she took the berries from him and promptly tossed them into her mouth. Turning round to face him, Toshiro was smirking down at her. Rukia whined at the back of her throat when he took his arm away and returned it to his side. She could no longer feel the cold coming off his skin.

“Captain! There you go sneaking in again.” Rangiku scolded him.

Toshiro shrugged and grabbed another frozen blueberry from the small bowl he carried. “I could have snuck in about 5 minutes ago but wanted to grab some fruit. Did you get any work done?”

“Oh I got _plenty_ of work done.” Rangiku winked in Rukia’s direction causing Rukia to giggle in response. “We gossiped about you while you were away.”

“Fun.” Toshiro remarked dryly. Rukia watched as he glanced between herself and Rangiku, clearly debating his choice of words. “Matsumoto, you can take your break now.”

Rangiku leapt up from her sitting position and fixed up her hair. “Captain, next time you can just say ‘I want some private time with my girlfriend.’ I totally understand!”

“Fine, I want some alone time with my girlfriend.” He repeated sarcastically, rolling his eyes. “Now go.”

Rangiku squealed at his words and tackled him for a hug. Reaching over to Rukia, she pulled the smaller Lieutenant's arm up and forcibly brought the two ice users' hands together, Rukia’s hand resting on top of Toshiro’s. “You guys are so cute! As they would say in the living world - I ship it! And don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone yet.”

Rukia watched as Rangiku bounced out of the office but not before waving and blowing a kiss to her fellow Shinigami. She brought her sight back to the hand that currently rested below hers and smiled gently. The cooling effect he had on her was overwhelming as she relaxed her grip into him more, closing her eyes to take more of it in.

“So…” Toshiro sounded amused. “Thought we agreed I’d get a warning before you told him?”

 _Woops._ Rukia braced herself for her third confrontation of the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uwu 
> 
> Rangiku Matsumoto is hands down one of my favourite characters to write. I hope my writing style does her justice!
> 
> What did you guys think? I'd love for any kudos or comments, they make my heart happy <3
> 
> I'm hoping to upload every two weeks to this series. I have a trello where you can see my plan for this fic (and could even see a cheeky wee spoiler or two >3>) https://trello.com/b/eTKS3zJq/gingerys-writing


	3. Lovebite (Part 3)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rukia and Toshiro talk about the developments their relationship will go through now the secret is out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello lovelies! Time for the final part of this little mini-series before we move onto some more exciting stuff! Thanks for sticking by me and my HitsuRuki obsession, haha~

Artwork by Chloe Ann Art  
[Tumblr](https://chloeannart.tumblr.com/) / [Twitter](https://twitter.com/ChloeAnnArt)

Rukia chuckled nervously. This was going to be an awkward one to explain.

She could literally feel Toshiro’s curiosity as her hand rested upon his, their reiatsu’s intertwining. Waves of icy reiatsu overwhelmed Rukia. Shivering in response, she let herself indulge in the new freezing sensation for only a few seconds before grounding herself. An explanation was needed. It was only fair to give Toshiro one since he had to unexpectedly deal with her brother.

Bringing herself back to reality, Rukia huffed slightly when she opened her eyes back up to meet his. Looking down at her with a face of pure child-like smugness, she saw Toshiro raise an eyebrow.

Rukia’s heart skipped a beat as she stared him down. The way his cheek dimples sat as he smirked, the perfect arch of his eyebrow as he raised it, the bold yet caring nature of his eyes. How could one guy be so unbelievably attractive? And why didn’t she notice it sooner?

Dating someone and chasing romance was never one of Rukia’s main goals in life when she was younger but there was always a small slither of curiosity in her head. Her classmates in the academy would frequently talk about their ‘crushes’ and even rank their fellow students by appearance. Whenever they had asked Rukia about it, she always found a way to avoid the subject or change it completely.

It wasn’t until the later hours of the night when a younger Rukia would secretly read romance novels she sneaked out of the library. The side of her that was a hopeless romantic stemmed from these stories. Hearing Byakuya talk about the relationship he and her sister shared had only strengthened that side of her.

As life began to calm in the Seireitei following the war, Captain Ukitake began to question if she would ever want to follow in her brother’s footsteps: settle down and get married. It got Rukia thinking, maybe she should start dating? After a very unhelpful talk with Renji on the matter, Rukia came to the conclusions she wouldn’t actively look for a partner but if someone nice came along, she would give it a shot.

Not even a week after that decision, Toshiro Hitsugaya was thrown into her life. Now here he was in front of her: eyeing her up and waiting patiently for a response about their now ‘not-so-secret’ relationship.

“First of all,” Rukia started, “I’m sorry. I should have stuck to our agreement and let you know in advance. I just-”

Toshiro squeezing her hand stopped her mid-sentence. “Relax, I’m messing with you. I’m guessing you just suddenly got the courage to tell him at lunch?”

Rukia found it sweet that he remembered she has lunch with her brother once a week. His caring nature was one of the many reasons Rukia found herself attracted to Toshiro. A gentle smile graced her lips. “I guess, yeah. I was in a very good mood after last night and Nii-sama picked up on it and questioned me."

Thinking about last night, even for just a moment, made Rukia remember the current state of her boyfriend’s neck. "Wait!" She cried out. "Your neck!"

She quickly adjusted her position, flipping herself to kneel on the couch and leaning over the back to face Toshiro. Pulling on his scarf slightly to expose the bruises, she inspected them.

This prompted quite a hearty chuckle from the Captain. “Don’t worry, he didn’t see… or if he did, he didn’t mention it.”

Rukia let out a sigh of relief. "I'm glad. I didn't really think this through. So what did he say to you?"

Before he responded, Toshiro quickly ate another blueberry then set the bowl down. Leaning closer to his girlfriend, he began to explain the short yet oddly sweet conversation he had with her brother. “I was surprised, to be honest. He was weirdly relaxed about it, said we have his blessing. Not that we should _need_ it anyway, you should be free to date whoever you want regardless of noble opinion.”

“Bet you're glad I chose to date you.” Rukia teased him. “Thaw that icy heart of yours I had heard so much about.”

Rukia playfully stuck out her tongue, trying to get a response out of her boyfriend. Toshiro could be equally as playful at times. The short, bratty boy from Junrinan was still in there despite the years of war and heartbreak.

Reaching down to grab a blueberry, Toshiro smirked as he shoved it into Rukia’s mouth. “Oh shut up.”

Rukia absolutely loved getting him all flustered. She swallowed the blueberry as quickly as she could then reached up to his neck with her hand. Pulling him closer, she smiled as she guided her lips to his. Kissing Toshiro was one of the most addicting things to her. Heck, Toshiro in general was addicting to her. Rukia just couldn’t get enough of the young white-haired Captain.

Deepening the kiss, Toshiro leaned in to capture more of her. The new sensation of being able to kiss in a new place like this sent shivers down her spine. Their reiatsu’s combined, decreasing the temperature of the room so the two ice users grew more comfortable. Rukia moved her hand up and ran her fingers through soft, white locks. Toshiro let out a soft moan in response then promptly ended the kiss, pulling away from her.

“We should stop.” Toshiro tried his best not to sound disappointed. Pouting her lip in response, all Rukia was craving right now was to bring him back in for another kiss. “People may know now but we’re still in a public place.”

“I guess.” Rukia complained. “But your office is hardly ‘public’, Toshiro.”

A finger abruptly placed on her lips interrupted her. That was the second time she was shushed by a higher up of the Tenth Division today. “More public than we’re used to.”

Rukia couldn’t deny the truth in his statement. It had been months now they were forced to keep their feelings for each other secret. This was all new territory for them. The couple just had multiple doors opened for them. They were now free to interact outside of the confines of Toshiro’s house in any way they wanted. It was definitely going to take some adjusting to.

She wasn’t sure of how he even felt about being a couple in public. Was he a fan of public displays of affection? He didn’t deny the kiss in the office.. Rukia knew they would have to adjust to this change as a couple and simply stay communicated, something they were good at.

Toshiro made his way around the couch to sit next to her. “So, what did Matsumoto say to you? Knowing her, she probably just wanted to gossip about me.”

Remembering the _light_ threat Rangiku gave her, Rukia wasn’t sure how to answer. Stuttering over her words, she couldn’t quite find a way to form a sentence. “Well, she… Um… She kind of threatened me?”

Toshiro didn’t look shocked but his brow still furrowed slightly. Realising her poor choice of words, Rukia wildly waved her hands in an attempt to physically retract her statement.

“Oh, no! Not like that! She just-” Pausing to take a deep breath and gathering her thoughts before she continued, Rukia was racking her brain for a better way to word her story. Patiently waiting, Toshiro rested a reassuring hand on her own and intertwined their fingers.

“Matsumoto-san clearly cares for you a lot.” Rukia elaborated. “She wanted me to know that she won’t hesitate to hurt me if I ever hurt you.”

Toshiro let out a small hum in response. “Sounds like her, alright. Matsumoto and I have been through a lot together. She’s been by my side since day one.”

“You two are like brother and sister at this point.”

“I suppose you could say that.” Both Soul Reapers let out a small chuckle. 

Hesitantly, Rukia shuffled closer to him and cuddled up to his side, wrapping both her arms around the one he had closest to her. She could feel the well toned muscles of his arm beneath her own. Rukia found herself very attracted to his body type: not overly ‘buff’ but with noticeable muscle.

Toshiro began to rub Rukia’s hand with his thumb, another cute habit of his, the pair sat in a comfortable silence for a short few minutes. While Rukia wasn’t sure of how he felt about public affection, in private she knew he was a very touchy-feely young man. Thinking of all the cuter habits Toshiro had in their relationship, Rukia suppressed a giggle.

“Toshiro?” Rukia caught his attention. Bright, teal eyes full of curiosity met her own. “After my more… _serious,_ talk with Matumoto-san, she begged me for some cute stories about the relationship.”

Groaning loudly, Toshiro raised his free arm to rub his face. “Of course she did. Clearly looking for something to tease me with.”

Finding it impossible to suppress her giggle this time, the small lieutenant shook with laughter next to her boyfriend. “This is only the start of it.”

“I swear, you’re both going to be the death of me now you can combine your forces.”

Wishing she could stay in this moment forever, reality soon hit her when a small Hell Butterfly made its way over to Toshiro. Extended a hand out to the small bug, it gently landed on his index finger. Watching him accept the message, a wave of happiness washed over Rukia.

Was she really _this_ lucky? Here she was: in a relationship with a young man she was falling deeper in love with everyday, a secure job as Lieutenant of the Thirteenth Division and her friends and family around her safe from any threats.

There was a small part of her waiting for disaster to strike. Things were too good to be true. Anxiety bubbled inside her, making her question if she really deserved all this? Bad luck followed Rukia wherever she went. It was only a matter of time before all this was taken from her.

As if he could hear her thoughts, Toshiro yet again gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, tearing her away from her spiralling thought. Rukia watched silently as he listened to the last of the report. When the bug fluttered away, his full attention was on her instantly.

“You tensed up.” Toshiro shared his observations. “Is there something wrong?”

Rukia hesitated slightly. Nerves got the best of her and she broke eye contact, unable to face his worried gaze. Tears threatened to sting her as she focused on her lap. “I’m very grateful for everything and everyone in my life at the moment. I don’t want to lose any of it.”

Hearing Toshiro shuffle out of his seat, the next thing she felt was a pair of reassuring arms pulling her to stand up. Wrapping arms gently around her waist, he pulled her in close. Their height difference of only a few centimetres meant he could easily rest his head on her shoulders.

“You’re not going to lose any of it.” Toshiro began rubbing patterns into her lower back, soothing her gently. “Trust me.”

And Rukia did trust him. Melting into her boyfriend, she felt safe and loved.

Everyone had bad times.

_‘Maybe my bad times are finally over’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra big thanks to my very talented girlfriend for the amazing art piece she done for this! You should definitely check out more of her artwork! (I've linked her Tumblr and Twitter below the image!)
> 
> As always, thanks for reading! <3
> 
> I have a trello where you can see my plans and release dates for this fic: https://trello.com/b/eTKS3zJq/gingerys-writing


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